A 52-year-old man has been arrested and faces multiple felony charges after he was caught sexually assaulting an 85-year-old fellow resident of a Seal Beach nursing home, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Louie Alonso Alberto, a felon who had already served a prison sentence for corporal injury on a spouse, was caught sexually assaulting the victim, who suffers from dementia, at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, the OCDA announced in a press release.
Nursing home staff had to break through a wheelchair that was barricading the door after they heard a woman screaming in the room, in which Alberto had also been discovered the day before, according to the OCDA.
“Sadly we have seen an inordinate amount of our Seal Beach seniors become unfairly victimized by individuals who see them as easy targets,” Seal Beach Chief of Police Philip L. Gonshak said in the release. “A health and rehabilitation facility should be a place where people go to rest and recover. They certainly should never have to worry about being victimized while they’re healing. Our Detectives are working closely with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to ensure any individual, including this alleged suspect, who preys on those less able to defend themselves are swiftly brought to justice.”
Alberto faces three felony charges: one count of sodomy of an incompetent person and two counts of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense. If convicted, he could be sentenced to seven years to life plus 10 years in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s office.
Alberto is being held on more than $1 million bail, and he is due to appear in the Central Jail Court on March 18, jail records show.
“Abuse comes in many forms, but it is the vulnerable and the defenseless who are most often targeted because they aren’t able to protect themselves,” Orange County D.A. Todd Spitzer said in the release. “Our elderly should be cared for with compassion and their legacies and lives treasured, not brutally victimized. No one should suffer the trauma of being sexually assaulted, especially in a place that is intended to provide care for people with dignity and respect. I’ve directed my bureau to conduct an investigation into how a convicted felon was placed in a facility where dementia patients were being treated. We are reviewing state law and regulations to see who was responsible for placing that individual in an environment that allowed him access to vulnerable individuals.”